Israeli writers call for Hamas negotiations

Amos Oz, David Grossman and AB Yehoshua are among a group of 11 prominent authors who have signed a petition calling on the Israeli government to negotiate a ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza. They said that it would help to bring an end to the suffering of Israelis and Palestinians.

The Israeli government rejected the call and described it as "counterproductive". It considers Hamas to be a terrorist group that refuses to recognise the Israeli state. However, the petition claims that Israel has, in its past, negotiated with its "worst enemies" and that the appropriate course from now on is to engage in talks in order to prevent further suffering on both sides.

Relations between Israel and the Palestinian territories have worsened since Hamas took power in the Gaza Strip in June. Militants' rocket attacks on Israel, and Israeli air strikes on Gaza continue to cost lives, and the Israeli cabinet last week decided to start cutting off fuel and power supplies to the Gaza Strip.

The internationally renowned authors published their petition in the left-wing Ha'aretz newspaper. They requested that the government's negotiations over Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held by militants since June 2006, include "an attempt to reach a comprehensive ceasefire with no preconditions".

Amos Oz, who has been described as "Israel's conscience", is one of the most influential intellectuals in Israel, both for his bestselling fiction and his essays. His work is rooted in the country's history and focuses on the conflict between Zionism's ideals and the reality of Israeli society. He has been awarded the Israel prize for literature, the Goethe prize and is regularly rumoured to be a strong contender for the Nobel prize.

His fellow writer David Grossman is also a prominent peace activist who has explored the Israeli-Palestinian divide in novels, non-fiction and journalism. He has continued his activism despite the death last year of his 20-year-old son Uri, a staff sergeant in an armoured unit, who was killed by an anti-tank missile during an operation in southern Lebanon.